Kiss The Vyper are a hard rock band from Australia founded in 2014 by multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, engineer, and producer Bobby Miller. The band’s debut album ‘Keep The Fire Burning’ was released in 2016. with their sophomore album ‘Hope You Like It’ a 2022 release.
Featuring a hard-rocking melodic rock sound, Kiss The Vyper is a modern-day mix of old-school glam – with bands such as Poison, Motley Crue, Cinderella, and (the seventies) Kiss springing immediately to mind. The band’s new album is eleven songs across nearly an hour of energy and bombast, all coming to life with the title song (and first single released) ‘Hope You Like It’ – seemingly, the band asking the question “hope you like it?” referring to the new album. And if you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands – I think you will. ‘Hope You Like It’ (the song) is full of energy and fizz, rocking really hard as it sets the tone for what is to come. And what’s to come – ‘Back To Hollywood’, an up-tempo, throbbing slab of glam come sleaze rock. Kiss The Vyper maintains the energy level they began the album with. And with a title you’d normally associate with a ballad, ‘Won’t Break Your Heart Again’ is the total opposite! Lively and full of energy, ‘Won’t Break Your Heart Again’ is bright and airy, lolloping along like a pet dog let loose in the great outdoors with a ball and a bag full of treats…
‘Give Me The Night’ though, does find the album in ballad country, all energy and oomph dropped in favor of a mellow thud, with lighters and arms everywhere, lifted high in the air. Kiss The Vyper may be from Australia, but they are definitely influenced by the American hard rock sound. This isn’t a bad thing – for America has produced some tremendous hard rocking bands. Way too many to mention here, but I will refer you to my earlier comment where I mentioned four bands! And it’s with those bands in mind, that the album rolls on with ‘Kiss From An Angel’ – a heavier offering than what has gone before. Heavier but remaining in the hard rock genre, clubbing listeners gently around the head with an insanely infectious rhythm. Feet and heads will be tapping and nodding hard to this one for sure.
In keeping with the eighties glam and sleaze rock scene, Kiss The Vyper has titled many of their songs using the innuendo-laden and cheesy sexual references formula – none more so than ‘Make Love Like Strangers’. Full of energy and fizz, ‘Make Love Like Strangers’ is a thundering swagger of hard rock. And right there, you have probably the best description of the Kiss The Vyper sound – “thundering swagger of hard rock”. ‘Somewhere In Time’ returns the mellow feel of earlier, sliding gently into the realms of balladry, arms and lighters once again raised high in the air. However, the band does increase the song’s bombastic nature over the chorus break, lifting it out of ballad territory, but dropping it straight back in for the next verse.
‘Palace Of Pleasure’ increases the intensity, peddling sexual innuendo with every line, harking back to some of the glorious smut-laden songs of Poison and Kiss. Kudos Kiss The Vyper for not being afraid to include these types of songs – even though we live in a world where people are so easily offended by anything…
…but not me! I’m old school in more ways than one, and unlikely to ever change. Hell, I even have Iron Maiden’s 1982 album ‘The Number Of The Beast’ playing in my car! Anyways, back to Kiss The Vyper and more political incorrectness – ‘Sweet Sticky Sex’ is a high-energy, up-tempo romp of hard driving rock ‘n’ roll, the band delving deep and keeping the intensity levels very high. Adopting a little AOR, the band rock on with ‘When Worlds Collide’, bringing forth a hint of the mighty Def Leppard. The mid-tempo heavy thud is infectious, Kiss The Vyper proving they’re willing to travel to every corner, nook, and cranny of the hard rock genre to entertain and excite their army of fans – and gain new ones too! The band brings the album to a close with the solid rocking ‘Don’t Leave Me Lonely’, blending AOR and soft rock to great effect. And it’s hard to believe that an hour has passed since ‘Hope You Like It’ (the album) began – a sign of a very good album when you lose all track of time! So trust me when I say, you’re gonna be hooked from start to finish.
Overall, a hard rock ‘n’ rolling album of old-school glam and sleaze rock, full of energy and bombastic overtones.
TRACKLIST
Hope You Like It
Back To Hollywood
Won’t Break Your Heart Again
Give Me The Night
Kiss From An Angel
Make Love Like Strangers
Somewhere In Time
Palace Of Pleasure
Sweet Sticky Sex
When Worlds Collide
Don’t Leave Me Lonely
Kiss The Vyper: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: Metalapolis Records
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
